Aaron Mitchell's electric buggy is capable of reaching 50mph and marks the latest in a long line of builds he hopes will lead him to a future in mechanical engineering.
00:01Meet the 15-year-old mechanical enthusiast building a future in engineering, all from his front garden in Borough Green.
00:09Aaron Mitchell's latest project is this fully kitted out electric buggy, customised with lights, seating and of course a personalised plate, all converted from what was a petrol-driven stock.
00:22I mean, I've got most of it online and a lot of it is trial and error, so I'd build stuff if something didn't go as I wanted it to, I'd tweak it and then until it worked, I could also look online to see ways so I can tweak it.
00:37It's certainly not Aaron's first build either. Ever since the age of four, Aaron tells me he's always been on the hunt for electronics he can pull apart and reconfigure.
00:46These are just a few of the hybrid petrol and electronic go-kart designs. His new one though is the first to be fully electric.
00:54I used it for a while, while it was petrol, but I wasn't happy with the speed I was getting from it and also the engine was quite a rough engine.
01:02And I thought, oh it's better off if I change it to electric drive, because then it's actually something I built as well.
01:07I like this one being two-seater, it's my first two-seater thing and it's also my first thing with suspension.
01:11All supported of course by mum and dad, who tell me they've grown to overcome any initial fears.
01:21I think in the early days, as every parent would be a little bit worried, you know, that he's going to blow himself up,
01:28but I soon realised that he was quite capable and has proved himself to be that, because he knows more than probably some adults.
01:39Can someone with no engineering qualifications and no experience of flying make something that actually leaves the ground?
01:47One of Aaron's biggest inspirations is Colin Furze, a YouTuber who's made a name for himself making wacky inventions.
01:54He was watching a lot of Colin Furze on YouTube and he got a bit obsessed with that and that's great.
02:01And he started wanting to make things and I'm just, son you want to do it, you do it.
02:06If he wanted me to help him, it was because he was stuck, but he very rarely says, Dad, do this, Dad, do that.
02:12He does it all himself.
02:15So here we are riding along in the electric buggy now, not making too much noise thanks to the 7.5 kilowatt motor behind us.
02:22I'm told this thing can get up to speeds of 50 miles an hour.
02:26Perhaps a thrill best left to the expert.
02:30So with a future in engineering pretty much assured, Aaron's electric dream is sure to become reality.
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